Tis The Season To Be Ambushed
by GunSniper64
Summary: While Irvine struggles with Carol's recent death and decides what to get Moonbay for Christmas, the rest of the gang must deal with kidnappings, betrayal, and bombs oh my at Red River. Pairings include: Irvine/Moonbay, V/F, Rob/O'Connell, and Stinger/Kar
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I DO NOT OWN ZOIDS, THE CHARACTERS, OR RED RIVER BASE! That being said, this newest fanfic of mine will be broken up into three parts, a Before Christmas, a During Christmas, and a New Years. All parts will contain yaoi (boy/boy pairings) and straight couples. This is a romance fic, so if you're not into that I suggest you don't read. Pairings include Van/Fiona, Irvine/Moonbay, past Irvine/Carol, one-sided Thomas/Fiona, Rob/O'Connell, and Stinger/Karl. That's all I'm going to say about pairings without giving too much away, so without further ado, enjoy "Tis The Season To Be Ambushed" and don't forget to review! Rated T for mild swearing and kissing *teehee*.**

Prologue

Irvine hated the holidays. He had never really had a reason to get all excited like Van or Fiona over such a silly notion such as Christmas. The only good thing about Christmas that brought a smirk to his face was getting to see old man Dr. Dee dress up as Santa. Other than that, there really was no reason for it in his opinion. Whatever he wanted he bought (or stole) on the spot, and whatever desires he had such as money, new parts for his zoid, or more money, he obtained by thievery or cunning skill. Irvine had no need for the "Christmas Spirit"….at least, that's what he thought.

You see, there was to be an annual Christmas Masquerade Ball at the Red River Base to celebrate the Christmas season and the New Year through gift openings, partying, lots of dancing, and plenty of laughter and merriment to go around. Usually Irvine would just go for the good food and wine, but this year he had another goal on his mind. For even though he preferred to have no interest in any aspect of Christmas, this year there would be one exception to his yearly Scrooginess, as Van called it. For this year, Irvine had taken it upon himself to do something special for his closest companion…Moonbay. She had always been more than a sister to him, yet he knew that whenever the going got tough, she would always be the first person to back him up, support him, or in some instances, save him. And this would be the year Irvine proved to her how much she meant to him.

"I'm not one for the sappy crap, I just want a simple, elegant way to show her how I feel that she will enjoy and be happy for," Irvine explained from where he leaned across the couch, his right ankle casually crossing over his left knee as he swooshed his hair out of his eyes. "I thought about getting her flowers or chocolates or some usual kind of close friendship thing, but that's too overdone, too corny. I want something original, yet not romantic. I don't like her romantically or anything, it's just...after recent events I feel a need to let her know how much she means to me before I lose her. I want to give Moonbay something that won't give her the wrong idea. I want her to know how I feel about her but not think too much of it…ya know?"

"Irvine…I've been in the romance business a long time, and I know _exactly_ what you're looking for!"

"…you do?"

"Of course! You're looking for something that will raise her awareness of you, something that will show just how much you value her companionship and friendship without causing her to think you are 'coming onto her'! Am I right?"

Irvine looked into Thomas's eyes from across the coffee table and let out a small sigh.

"Thomas…sometimes I don't know whether to shoot you and take you out of your misery or award you with a medal."

"Thank you, Irvine! You can count on Lieutenant Thomas Richard Schubaltz of the Guardian Force to help you out!"

Chapter One

_Red River Base, December 21st, 5:30 A.M. _

_And all through the base, not a creature was stirring, except for a cheerful Captain O'Connell._

"Gooooooood morning Major Herman! Time for your morning cup of coffee! Guess what sir? Christmas is only four days away! Major, isn't that exciting?"

Rob Herman groaned as he turned over in his bed to open an eye and peer out at the handsome Captain O'Connell, who was practically jumping with joy next to his bed.

"O'Connell….it's 5:30 in the morning, and you're waking me up to ask me if I'm excited about Christmas almost being here?"

"Yes, sir!"

"…don't you have more important duties to do, Captain?" Herman groaned out as he let his head fall back into the pillow.

"But sir, it's almost Christmas, and I thought…"

"You thought what, _Captain_?"

O'Connell rubbed the back of his neck as he muttered sheepishly, "I just thought maybe you would want to help me oversee preparations for the Masquerade Ball this coming weekend."

Herman felt the heat rise to his face as he blinked and turned his head slowly to look up at his captain with a quizzical look.

"I-I mean, I understand that you're busy sir, and well, I just thought, oh forget it, I'll do it by myself, I'm sorry to have disturbed you with such childish wishes, I just get so excited during the Christmas season, and I just thought that maybe you could share in my Christmas joy with me or –"

During O'Connell's speech, Herman sighed, slowly rose from the bed, crossed over to his first mate, and looked into his eyes before wrapping his arms around the smaller man.

O'Connell squeaked as he was embraced, but quickly relaxed, and melted into his commanding officer's embrace.

"O'Connell?"

"Y-yes, Major Herman?"

Herman pulled away long enough to look into his subordinate's eyes. "For you, I will get into the Christmas spirit….but only for you."

O'Connell's face split into a huge smile as he wrapped his arms around Herman and held him tightly.

"Oh thank you Major! I promise you, this will be the best Christmas yet! I won't let you down, sir! I promise!"

As O'Connell turned and raced out of the room, his boyish energy lifted Herman's grin into a full-fledged smile as the man turned and looked at himself in the mirror.

'_I really should put some clothes on before I hug him next time.'_

_Red River Base, December 21st, 9:00 AM._

"I am a transporter of the wasteland; I never know just where the unknown road will take me."

Moonbay sang her song as she sat in the cockpit of her Gustav, feet gently tapping against the air from where they rested on the controls system, as she bobbed her head to her own fabulous song. In just a few days it would be time for the Masquerade Ball, and she had promised Fiona she would take the girl shopping for an outfit to wear. Moonbay usually wasn't much of a morning person, but she figured going shopping early to avoid the crowds would be her seasonal good deed of the year. Plus Fiona was like a little sister to her, and Moonbay figured she would have some fun dressing her little girl up.

Fiona wasn't much of a little girl anymore though…and for the record, Van wasn't little anymore either. Moonbay had first met them when they were kids, but now Van was aspiring to become a Lieutenant, and Fiona was in the middle of her high peak in Ancient Zoidian Research. Both of them had matured so much, and yet their childishness still could be seen during the holidays. Van could sometimes be as serious as Irvine and it worried Moonbay to see him so grown up; but with the holiday season around the corner, Van was decorating the Christmas tree that stood in the middle of the hanger for the top notch zoids with a boyish smile on his face. It warmed Moonbay's heart to see her little brotherly figure smiling at something so simple and pure.

"Moonbay!"

Moonbay looked away from Van and the monstrous tree and waved to Fiona, who was running over to greet her.

"Hey Fi, ready to do some shopping?"

"You bet! I'm so excited! Do you think we'll find any pretty masks?"

"Oh, I bet we'll find something," Moonbay laughed as Fiona hopped into the Gustav. As Moonbay pulled the controls to lower the top of the cockpit, she looked out one last time at the hanger and managed to catch the form of a single mercenary leaning against the top railing of the hanger. As Moonbay looked up into his eyes, he turned away from her, and disappeared into the shadows.

"He's getting to be more and more shadowy like Raven."

"Hm? Is there something wrong, Moonbay?"

"No, not at all. Come on, let's get this adventure started."

_Red River Base, December 21st, 2:00 PM._

"Colonel Krueger, do you mean to tell me that you have no missions for me and Zeke to go on? Come on old timer, we're getting bored here! We've already set up the tree in the hanger, and put the first couple strands of garland around it; can't we please go out and hunt down some mercenaries or something?"

"Van, I know you like to let your immaturity show around the holidays – you're so much like your father – but can you try to contain your excitement for a few hours? I can't help if there's not much criminal activity going on in the real world for you to put an end to. Why don't you, Zeke, Thomas, and Irvine take the zoids out for a run if you're that bored? At least make sure the Liger, Dibison, and Saix aren't getting rusty."

"Colonel Krueger?"

"Yes, Van?"

"Is it alright if my sister Maria spends the holiday here with us? Now that we're all together here, I don't feel right leaving her alone in the Wind Colony when she can spend it here with us."

"Of course, Van."

"Thank you sir!"

_Same time._

"Okay Moonbay, how do I look?" Fiona asked as she stepped out from behind the curtain. She wore a bright pink ball gown with a gold half-mask that covered her nose and around her eyes.

"Girl, you look beautiful! You're going to have Van and Thomas drooling at the sight of you," Moonbay winked.

Fiona giggled to herself as she looked in a mirror.

"You don't think it's too…poofy?"

"For a masquerade ball? Not at all! The theme of this kind of event is all about the element of suspense and mystery! Although if we leave your hair like that there won't be much point in guessing of your identity. I know! I'll give you a completely different hairdo that will make you irresistible! Whaddya say?"

Fiona smiled as she nodded happily and went back behind the curtain to change clothes. As the girl changed, Moonbay looked into the mirror that hung on the right wall of the store at her reflection. She always let her self-confidence show when she was around her friends, but in reality Moonbay felt that there was little to be proud of in her appearance. Her hair was so much darker than that of any of the other girls, and she was well-known as the motherly type among her friends. There were times when Moonbay felt more like an old hag than a young, beautiful bachelorette. She had had her moments of self-beauty, like when McMann first proposed to her, or when she had first obtained her Gustav; she had felt such a beautiful mental connection with her zoid. But lately Moonbay hadn't felt anything even remotely similar to self-beauty. She knew Irvine, her best friend in the whole world who she viewed as more than a brother, was keeping a secret from her, and it bothered her that she didn't know what it was. Moonbay was set on finding out though. She knew Irvine would tell her eventually, but he just needed time. The question was, how much time did he need?

"Moonbay? You okay?"

Moonbay looked behind her and saw that Fiona was dressed back into her normal pink outfit, holding a bag with the dress and mask wrapped up neatly in paper inside it.

"Oh, yeah, I'm okay Fiona. Just thinking is all. Well now that we both have our outfits, shall we head back? By the time we get back it will be time for O'Connell to feed us some grub."

Fiona cheered and bounded out of the door of the store, leaving Moonbay to look back into the mirror one last time.

_'Does Irvine find me beautiful?'_

_Red River Base, December 21st, 4:00 PM. _

Lieutenant Thomas Richard Shubaltz of the Guardian Force did well to stay out of his brother's business. However, when walking past his brother's office he heard a soft moaning sound, Thomas was naturally intrigued to squat down and try to listen in through the crack in the door.

"Oh Stinger, you're Stealth Viper is so long, can I help you manage it?"

Thomas giggled to himself. It was a rare occurrence to hear his brother speaking dirty talk in his sleep about his secret love-interest, the infamous Stinger. Thomas tried to lean on the door to hear better, when a tap at his shoulder sent him jumping into the air in fright.

"Ancient papaya Van, you almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Yeah, yeah, listen: Krueger gave me the OK to go let my sister know it's cool for her to spend the holiday here with us. Are you in for some adventure time to the Wind Colony with me?"

Thomas motioned to the door as he whispered, "Sure, but let me finish getting the dirt on Karl. He's talking in his sleep again – here, have a listen."

As Thomas kneeled down next to the door, Van leaned over him and the two pressed their ears to the door.

"Mmm, Stinger, not in Rob's office! What if we get caught?"

"Eww, he wants to make out in Major Herman's office? That's gross!"

"Shh, it's not even that good yet!"

Irvine was walking down the hall towards the lunchroom to prepare for dinner, when he noticed Thomas and Van practically on top of each other, leaning against the door to Karl Shubaltz's office, obviously listening in on a private matter.

Sighing to himself, Irvine walked up to them and asked rather loudly, "Just what the hell are you two up to?"

"SHHH!" Thomas and Van hissed at him as they lost their balance and fell back away from the door. Just as they hit the ground, the door was roughly yanked open, and a rather irritated-looking Shubaltz the Elder looked down at them.

Van and Thomas looked up at him and gave them their best puppy dog smiles as Karl asked roughly, "What were you two doing?"

"Um, just checking for any signs of intrusion, big brother! It seems there has been some kind of thief raiding the personnel offices and stealing things! We just wanted to make sure it was truly you in there and not an imposter! Right Van?"

"Huh? Oh yeah – right, right!"

Karl looked from the two guilty intruders to Irvine, who just shrugged in response.

"Don't look at me, I just walked down the hall and found these two peeping on you."

Karl let out a sigh as he asked, "Well, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Not at all Karl! Van, Irvine, and I were just about to go out for a run to the Wind Colony to pay Van's sister Maria a visit," Thomas smiled. "We're going to bring her back here so she can truly enjoy the holiday season among friends and family!"

"That sounds nice," Karl remarked as he leaned against the doorframe. "Be safe out there, and make sure you report any suspicious activity you see on your way. I'll see you at dinner in a few hours."

With that, Karl shut the door in their faces, leaving the three men to look at each other and shrug.

"Alright men, let's get going!" Thomas cheered as he led the way down the hall, pulling a disgruntled Irvine behind him.

"Remind me again why I have to go along with you idiots?"

_Red River Base, December 21st, 4:30 PM._

Karl, having been woken up from his nap by the younglings of the base, decided to go down and help with the tree decorations. On his way down, he nearly bumped into an energetic O'Connell.

"O'Connell, where are you going, and may I be of assistance?"

"Sure Colonel! I'm on my way downstairs to finish up the tree. Major Herman was helping before, but he looked so exhausted, I told him to go to bed and get some rest so he doesn't get sick. I told him I could manage the plans for the masquerade ball myself."

"Well, I'll help you out since I have nothing else to do. Don't count on Irvine, Van, Thomas, Moonbay, or Fiona helping though, since they've all gone out to do their own things. It's almost hard to believe it's almost Christmastime."

"Yeah…Colonel, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it, O'Connell?"

"Well…Van's bringing his sister to the base for Christmas, and everyone else here has a 'special someone'…are you planning on bringing anyone special to the base for Christmas? Like another relative or a…_special someone_?"

Karl found it difficult to swallow as he avoided the innocent captain's eyes.

"A special someone?"

"Well yeah! I mean, you know…like how Van has Fiona or I have Major Herman or how Irvine has Moonbay – isn't there someone you've taken a liking to?"

Karl cleared his throat as he said, "There is someone, yes. But I can't ask him/her to come to the base because he/she would not…._fit in_. If you wish to know more on the subject, I would say ask Rob, because I'm not saying anything more."

As Karl walked just a little bit faster to reach the hanger, O'Connell slowed down and watched him go with his head slightly tilted to the side.

_Outside of Red River Base, on the way to the Wind Colony, December 21st, 5:26 PM._

"Hey Van, are we almost there? My joints are cramping up with boredom."

"Hold your horses Thomas; we'll be there in about ten minutes."

"Hey Van, do you think your sister will be happy to come back with us?" Irvine asked from where he was piloting his Saix.

"I don't see why not. Maria is always energetic about meeting my friends – just ask Zeke."

The organoid made a laughing sound from where he was curled up around the Blade Liger's core.

"What's your sister like, Van? I've never had the privilege of meeting her. Is she a troublemaker like you?"

"Hardly. My sister was always the mature, responsible one. She's got a huge heart, and adores Zeke and Fiona. Although sometimes she acts more like my mom than my sister. But watch yourself Thomas, she may be single, but you're not getting your womanizing hands on her!"

"Please Van; the only woman in this world for me is the fair and beautiful Fiona!"

Van struggled to contain his laughter as Irvine smirked over the com system.

"Van, I was wondering," Irvine voiced aloud after a little while. "What are you getting Fiona for Christmas? Like is it overly romantic or is it sweet and simple?"

"Well to be honest, I haven't really thought about it," Van admitted as he rubbed his neck.

"WHAT? YOU MEAN TO TELL ME FIONA HAS HER HEART SET ON A TOTAL BUM? HOW COULD YOU NOT THINK OF WHAT TO GET HER? SHE SHOULD BE YOUR FIRST PRIORITY AT ALL TIMES –"

"Thank you, Thomas," Irvine said loudly as he blocked Thomas out of the conversation. Irvine looked at Van's face on his screen with a look of seriousness. "I was just asking because I'm trying to figure out what to get Moonbay, but I don't want it to be romantic or anything. I just…want it to be sentimental but not lovey dovey…you know?"

Van smiled as he nodded. "Yeah, I can understand that. But why don't you want it to be romantic? I mean, come on man, wake up and smell Dr. Dee's coffee. You and Moonbay are made for each other just as much as Fiona and I are. And you know she totally digs you. I mean she left McMann to be with you!"

"Yeah I understand that, but it's...difficult. And she didn't leave McMann to be with me, she left him to travel around with _all of us_."

"Difficult? What's there to misunderstand? She digs you, you dig her -"

"_Dig_ her_?_ Since when did you start talking like some street thug of the Fire Colony?"

"Irvine, come on. You really like her, don't you?"

"Well yeah, but again, it's...complicated. Let's just say after recent events I realize I need to make a bigger effort to tell the important people in my life who mean a lot to me how much they mean to me before it's too late."

Van pouted on the screen as he asked, "Sooo when are you going to tell me how much I mean to you?"

Irvine laughed as he shut off the com system. "You mean a lot to me too, kid."

_Wind Colony, December 21st, same time._

Maria Flyheight was tired of living alone. She wanted to find that _special someone_ like her little brother had found. Van was younger than her by a few years, and even _he_ had found someone to settle down with before she had. That's why she anxiously stood at her door waiting for her brother to come pick her up. She had received his call that she could spend Christmas at the base, and needless to say, Maria was ecstatic. Hoping to find the man of her dreams in that of a handsome, intelligent soldier, Maria stood, bags in hand, scanning the horizon just beyond the village for any sign of her brother.

"Home," Van breathed as the Blade Liger approached the outskirts of the Wind Colony. The peaceful village stood unchanged from the effects of the long-standing war that had waged on for the decade. The windmills still spun, the grass waved in the gentle breeze, and a small, petite figure could be seen running out of the village, waving at the zoids as she approached.

"Maria!" Van called out as he brought the Liger to a halt, opened up the cockpit, and jumped down to run into his sister's arms.

"Oh Van, you've gotten so tall! It's wonderful to see you," a tearful Maria smiled as she held her brother tightly. "You're looking more and more like dad with each passing day."

Van beamed as he gestured to the zoids behind them.

"We'll throw your bags into the back of the Dibson, and you can ride in the back of the Liger. Zeke! Come on out and say hello to Maria!"

"Oh Van, that's quite alright, Zeke doesn't have to -"

Maria was cut off as Zeke flew from the Liger down to the ground where he pulled Maria tightly into his short arms and started making all kinds of happy organoid noises. Maria squeaked a little, but passed it off as laughter when Thomas and Irvine both stood up in their zoids to wave to her.

"Hey Maria, looking fine as always!" Irvine called down with a wave and a wink.

Maria laughed as she waved back. "Hey Irvine! The Saix looks really good!"

"Thanks! The doc had it custom-built for me!"

Maria turned her eyes to the blonde man in the Dibison and felt her smile grow as she met his startled gaze.

"Hello! You must be Thomas, I presume? Van's told me a lot about you."

Thomas felt his heartbeat quicken at being addressed by such a beautiful young woman., even though she wasn't as beautiful as Fiona. Maria definitely had Van's dark hair and gentle eyes, but she looked so much more aged than Van. Sure she was older than him by a few years, but Thomas saw the heart of not a young woman, but an experienced woman ready for marriage in those sweet eyes.

"W-why yes, my name is Lieutenant Thomas Richard Schubaltz of the Guardian Force! This is my Dibison!"

Maria smiled at Thomas's innocence and cuteness as she responded, "I can see that. She is very nice."

"She? Nobody ever called my Dibison a _she_ before," Thomas whispered as he looked at Van. "Should we get going now?"

Van nodded and gestured to Maria's bags. "I'll pack these in for you, why don't you load on up into the Liger? Zeke, help her out."

Zeke nodded and motioned for Maria to climb up onto his back. As she did - somewhat awkwardly - Zeke flew them up into the Liger's cockpit. Van turned to Thomas and called out, "Thomas, stop gawking and come help me with these bags!"

"R-right away, Van!" Thomas stuttered as he jumped down eagerly to help.

_Red River Base, December 21st, 7:00 PM._

"Wow, am I beat from all that shopping! I can't wait to see Van's face when he sees how beautiful you're going to look in that dress," Moonbay chirped as she flopped down on her bed.

Fiona smiled at her, but looked out the window into the sandy desert.

"Do you think Van will do anything special for us this Christmas?"

"I'm sure that boy has something up his sleeve. He may not be the most romantic of all the guys I've met, but I'm sure he will do something special to show his love for you this year."

"How can you be so sure? Knowing Van, he probably forgot to get anyone anything," Fiona sighed as she flopped down on the window seat. "He's the hero of Zi, yet he's the biggest procrastinator I know of when it comes to anything personal or romantic."

"Haha that's true, but I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure he's got something up his sleeve," Moonbay smiled as she sat up to regard Fiona. "Hey, why don't we go see how the boys did decorating the tree? It didn't look half bad this morning, and I'm sure you're dying to see Van again. We'll stop off at the tree and then head on to dinner."

"Okay," Fiona smiled as she left her seat and her worries behind.

_Same time._

O'Connell wiped his forehead as he called down to Karl, "Colonel Schubaltz, the star won't fit on the tree!"

"What do you mean it won't fit? Isn't that the tree you use every year?"

"No sir! The star we used last year was destroyed when the base was attacked. I sent some of the officers out to find a new one, but this one here has too small of a hole to fit the branches into! What should we do, sir?"

"Officers," Karl sighed, "they can't be counted on for anything useful these days. Alright O'Connell, take down the star, we'll find something else to decorate the top of the tree with!"

As O'Connell nodded and maneuvered his Pteras to fly back down to the ground, Karl turned his head as he heard two people approaching.

"Heya Colonel, anything us lovely ladies can help with?" Moonbay asked, giving Karl a wink.

"Thanks Moonbay, but we were just wrapping things up here before we go to dinner."

"Well may we join you on your journey to the dining room?" Fiona asked politely as she poked out from behind Moonbay.

Karl smiled at her. "And to think for a while there I forgot that you were an Ancient Zoidian, otherwise known as one who still uses manners. Sure, come along - I'm just waiting for O'Connell to come down here."

As O'Connell jumped down from his zoid's cockpit and exchanged greetings with the girls, the four made their way to the dining hall with Moonbay remarking, "The tree doesn't look half bad this year. It looks like all you need to do now is string the lights on it and pack the presents underneath it."

"And find a star for the top. Turns out the old one was destroyed in an assault on the base a few years back. You two wouldn't happen to know where we could find one, would you?"

Moonbay put a finger to her chin as she thought about it.

"I'm sure Dr. Dee would have some idea of where to find one. That crackjob is always the first man to ask about finding weird stuff. Will he be at dinner?"

"Mhmm," Fiona smiled with a little skip in her step. "He was supposed to land at the base an hour ago, but I haven't had time to go searching for him. Knowing him though, if there is food around, he's sure to be there to enjoy it."

As they shared a laugh, O'Connell piped up, "I'm going to go see if I can find Major Herman and let him know about dinner. I'll see you all there!"

When he was out of sight, Karl heaved a sigh. "That boy is quite adorable at times, but he's also pretty clueless. No wonder Herman has a thing for him. Granted, he has the potential to be a great commanding officer, but he still has so much to learn about everything."

"I think O'Connell has a good heart," Fiona smiled as she opened the door of the dining room. "He works hard, and he cares very much for Major Herman."

"Yeah but one day Rob won't be there for him...then what will O'Connell do? I don't think he has it in him to take over Red River yet." Karl's face twisted into a grimace as he shrugged and said, "Oh well, how about we wait for the others to meet up with us? I'm sure they shouldn't be long. Van and the others should be returning soon."

"Returning soon? Where did they go?" Moonbay asked as she sat down opposite Karl and next to Fiona.

"They went to go pick up Van's sister Maria and bring her back to the base for the holiday season. Van figures it would be good for her to spend Christmas here with friends and family than in the Wind Colony alone."

"That makes sense," Moonbay said as she took a drink from her water glass. "Hey, do you know if Rosso and Viola are coming?"

"I know Rob talked to Rosso last week, and he said that he, Viola, and Viola's sister would be arriving later on in the week in time for the Ball. Basically all of you and Van's friends will be here for this."

"Will Raven?" Fiona asked as her eyebrows knitted together. "I know Major Herman invited him as a peace settlement. Do you think he will come?"

"Raven is a fickle kind of guy. You never really know where or when he will show up to something. For the longest time we all thought he was dead until he appeared out of the blue like that," Moonbay said with a snap. "If he comes and doesn't cause any problems it will be a miracle."

"Raven is indeed a troubled soul, but perhaps the spirit of Christmas will turn him around," Karl noted as the doors opened up to display Van, Thomas, Irvine, and Maria. "Ah, our guests have arrived."

_Red River Base, December 21st, 7:15 PM._

O'Connell sprinted down the stairway and down the long, solid color hallways, searching for Major Herman's office. When he finally found it on the fourth floor, O'Connell took a breath and gently knocked on the door calling out, "Major Herman! It's time for dinner, sir!"

When there was no answer, O'Connell knocked on the door again.

"Major Herman?"

O'Connell tried pressing his ear to the door to listen for any kind of snores, but knowing that the office was sound-proof, he decided to risk it. Taking out his spare key to the office that Rob had given him "in case of emergencies", O'Connell unlocked the door and peeked inside.

"Major Herman, are you there?"

When O'Connell had unlocked the door he had expected to find Rob sleeping at his desk or going through files, or even not in his office at all.

What O'Connell did not expect to find was Major Herman locked in a passionate kiss with one of the most renowned criminals, Stinger.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

_Red River Base, December 21st, 7:30 pm._

"O'Connell stop, it's not what it looks like!"

"Not what it looks like my ass!"

"Hey, don't speak to your commanding officer that way!"

"I'll talk to you however I want, you damn, cheating ass!"

"Well," Karl Schubaltz remarked as he put down his wineglass. "I do believe O'Connell and Rob should be arriving at any moment."

The screams and shouts that had been echoing down the hallway reached the dining room as the doors were thrown open and a tearful, enraged O'Connell stormed in.

Upon seeing how many people were already seated at the long, wooden table, O'Connell lost some of his nerve and just stood there, gaping like a fish at the wide-eyed stares he received. Herman arrived behind him shortly, grabbed O'Connell by the shoulders - ignoring everyone's stares - and spun the cerulean-haired man around to face him.

"O'Connell, it wasn't my fault or what you thought. Stinger came in to ask if he could join us for Christmas, and when I told him to get the hell out of my office, he tried to make advancements on me. I tried to push him away and when he heard you knock at the door, he grabbed me and forced himself on me. It wasn't my fault, O'Connell!"

O'Connell just looked into the blonde's eyes with an unreadable expression as Rob took a step forward to whisper, "There's a reason why you were my first male kiss, O'Connell."

O'Connell opened his mouth to say something when suddenly a voice exclaimed, "You poor captain, you're actually going to believe this silly major?"

All eyes turned to the feminine figure in the doorway as Karl whispered softly, "Stinger."

"Don't listen to him, O'Connell!" Van shouted from his spot at the table. As Van stood up, he pointed at Stinger with, "That man is a criminal known for his clever trickery! You know as well as the rest of us do that Major Herman would never cheat on you! Don't listen to Stinger, he's a fraud!"

"Fraud?" Stinger asked as he mock-clutched at his heart while leaning against the doorframe for support. "Be still my beating heart! How could you ever call me such a wicked thing? And to think you meant so much to me, young Flyheight."

"If 'meaning so much to you' means trying to kill him every chance you got, then yes, Van means the world to you," Moonbay smirked as she stood up.

"Stinger, you have done enough. I suggest you leave Red River at once before we have you imprisoned for assault," Thomas remarked.

Stinger looked from face to face before his gaze fell on Karl's.

Not a word was spoken, but the conversation that passed between those two could have spoken volumes.

"Fine, I'll go, but don't think this is the last you have seen of me," Stinger smiled before leaving the room.

Once he was gone, Rob gave a sigh and looked back at O'Connell, but was struck by the amount of hurt he saw in those beautiful eyes.

"He was lying, of course...wasn't he, Rob?" O'Connell asked quietly.

"Of course he was, O'Connell," Rob whispered as he took the smaller man into his arms. "Don't believe him. You know I love you...my heart's yours."

O'Connell gave a tiny smile at this before backing up and sheepishly looking at the others.

"I'm sorry I put everyone through so much trouble. I ruined dinner."

"Oh sweetie, you could never do that," Moonbay smiled as she walked over and slung an arm around O'Connell's shoulders. "It was boring anyway before you came along. Colonel Schubaltz was telling us all these boring comments and stories and - ...hey, where is the colonel?"

Looking at Karl's seat, which was Karl-less, Thomas stood up and announced, "I'll go talk to him."

_Red River Base, December 21st, 7:43 PM._

Stinger muttered dark curses under his breath as he made his way down the long hallways of the base.

"Stupid Flyheight and his stupid friends; everything was going so perfectly before I was interrupted. I'll show them soon enough. I made my appearance, at least I was able to do that."

Stinger headed into the makeshift elevator and pushed the button to descend floors when a hand pressed itself between the doors at the last moment, causing the doors to open back up. Stinger tried not to start as Karl stepped in to the elevator beside him.

"Going down?" Karl asked.

When he received no reply but a solid look by Stinger, Karl smirked and hit the down button.

There was a moment of silence before Karl muttered, "What are you doing trying to break up Rob and O'Connell? Can you just not bare to see anyone other than yourself happy?"

Stinger didn't say anything, he just faced forward and watched the doors as the elevator moved between floors. Suddenly Karl hit the emergency break button and stopped the elevator.

"I do believe that was my stop," Stinger started, but when a hand slammed itself next to his face against the metal of the elevator wall, Stinger shut up. Karl leaned in close to Stinger's face and asked, "Do you think it's funny tearing people apart? I don't try to understand why you go around kissing people and making yourself out to be a common whore for hire, and I don't care. What does ruffle my feathers though is seeing two completely innocent and pure people like Rob and O'Connell being sucked in to your antics. Whatever plan you have up your sleeve, I suggest you stop it now while you're ahead. There are only two paths for you, Stinger. One ends up with you behind bars, and the other sees you being hanged."

Karl leaned real close to Stinger so that his breath tickled the other man's lips as the colonel whispered, "And if you hurt O'Connell or Rob more than you already have, I can guarantee you that you will be experiencing the latter of those paths."

Karl reached behind him and punched the emergency button for a second time, causing the elevator to give a jolt as it continued on its path. When it hit the first floor and the doors opened up to reveal the hanger, Karl stepped away from Stinger, never taking his eyes off of the criminal's, and gestured to the open doors.

"Your freedom awaits you."

At this Stinger smirked, and showed signs of his true self for the first time that day to the colonel.

"You're wrong _Colonel_. There's another path that awaits me, and it ends in my victory."

"We'll see," Karl whispered as Stinger leaned forward and pecked his cheek before leaving.

As Karl watched him leave, he couldn't help but breathe in the faint aroma of sweet peas.

_Red River Base, December 21st, 8:15 PM. _

Thomas didn't even bother to check his brother's temporary office at the base; he knew better than to check the obvious spots for his missing colonel. Instead Thomas decided to make his way to the hanger, where he was sure he would find Karl. Deciding against the elevator, Thomas took the stairs, climbing down the couple floors until he reached the zoid hanger. The hanger itself really wasn't that spectacular in Thomas's opinion; it was just a really large room capable of storing zoids as tall as the Iron Kong and as long as three extended Stealth Vipers from head to tip. The tree had been set up dead-center of the hanger; although it would usually be surrounded by busy workers attempting to finish it in time for the ball, there were no works in the hanger, since everyone went to dinner. Thomas made his way to his brother's Iron Kong, and although he couldn't see his brother's body in the cockpit from the ground, Thomas knew he had found him.

Using his Pteras to fly him up closer, Thomas found his brother slumped over against the control system of his zoid, eyes closed, and fist gently taping on the system. Thomas knocked on the cockpit, which instantly opened up to grant him access. Thanking his Pteras for the lift, Thomas hopped into the cockpit and sat in the seat beside his brother.

"So...dinner went well," Thomas joked as he looked at his brother.

Karl was usually very good at being able to keep a straight face, but his brother could always tell when he was deeply troubled.

Thomas gave a sigh, and stretched his feet out as he looked out at the tree.

"Usually Christmas is about bringing people together, not tearing them apart. It's rough when two people who are so perfect for each other are so misguided because of misunderstandings."

"Rob and O'Connell will be fine," Karl muttered as he rested his face in his hand, and his elbow on his knee.

"Wasn't talking about them," Thomas remarked as he looked at his brother from the corner of his eye. "Stinger looks different."

"He's still the same selfish, troublesome, self-absorbed premadonna he always was," Karl noted. "Nothing about him has changed."

"I don't know about that," Thomas said as he leaned further back against the Iron Kong's chair. "He looks a lot more...confidant in himself. He looks healthier...happier."

"That's only because whatever plan he has up his sleeve worked perfectly, as he imagined it. He's not happy, he's scared and tired of failing. He won't stop until he receives the death penalty though because this is all he knows. Locking him up won't do him any good, he'll only escape or have others carry out his plans for him. He's weak, but he's not helpless. He's cunning, that's what he is."

"And also irresistible," Thomas smirked.

Karl gave him a tired glance and Thomas shrugged. "You know it's true. Why else would you have bothered to go after him?"

"He needed to know what's at stake whether he fails or succeeds."

"Why? Haven't you reminded him enough what the cost is for breaking the law or hurting people we care about?"

"...I can't stop reminding him. I keep hoping he'll come around one of these days."

"Karl..." Thomas started as he put a hand on his brother's arm. "People like him don't change. That's something you have to accept."

Karl looked out at the Christmas tree and thought to himself, 'If he did change, then I guess I wouldn't love him as much.'

_Red River Base, December 21st, 10:19 PM._

"That was a pretty messed up dinner. Who would have thought Stinger would show up? I guess it wouldn't feel like normal around here without some kind of threat looming over our shoulders. Although Stinger isn't much of a threat."

"I wouldn't underestimate that creep," Irvine said from where he stood next to Moonbay on the balcony. "He may be a flamboyant bastard, but he has a brain."

"Mm," Moonbay agreed as she leaned against the railing. "Hey Irvine?"

"Yeah, 'Bay?"

"Do you think it's possible for two people who aren't right for each other at all to fall in love?"

"What do you mean?" Irvine asked, feeling his heart plummet to his stomach.

"I'm talking about Karl and Stinger. I mean, you saw the look in Stinger's eyes when he saw Karl. That...human _want _to be with him, yet knowing that they never can because they're just from different worlds. Do you think there's hope for people like them?"

Moonbay didn't dare look at Irvine, but she saw him turn away from her out of the corner of her eye. Resting a hand on the railing, Irvine looked out at the dark desert and thought of Carol and the way her Storm Sworder had plummeted into the water.

Not answering her question, Irvine turned and started to walk away when Moonbay reached out and grabbed his arm.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, although she wasn't entirely sure what for.

"It wasn't your fault," Irvine muttered, as he gently shook her hand off of him, and walked back into the base.

Moonbay watched him go with a heavy heart - she wished he would just tell her what had happened to break his heart.

_Red River Base, December 21st, 11:00 PM._

O'Connell walked out of the bathroom and over to Rob's bed. He wore light blue pajamas (Rob's favorite), and fuzzy slippers to match. His hair was messy from the shower, and he smelled faintly of apricots. Rob, who was currently lying in bed, lifted up the covers as a gesture for O'Connell to slide under. Smiling, O'Connell slid into the bed and was instantly pulled against Rob's chest.

"You know I don't usually like to speak my feelings, but you truly are beautiful," Major Herman whispered to his subordinate as he tightened his grip on O'Connell.

O'Connell didn't say anything in response, only smiled slightly at the praise.

Sensing something was wrong, Rob tilted O'Connell up to face him and saw the captain's eyes threatening to release a small wave of tears.

"O'Connell..." Rob whispered.

O'Connell sniffled and stuttered, "I-it's all my fault, I shouldn't have overreacted like that, I k-know you would n-never cheat on me, b-but when I saw you in his arms I just, I just couldn't take it! The thought of losing you to anyone or to anything, it just overpowered me! I-I'm so sorry Rob, I'm sorry, please forgive me, I'm sorry."

As O'Connell cried against his shoulder, Major Herman tightened his grip on the captain, and nuzzled his face into O'Connell's hair, breathing in his scent.

"Don't cry O'Connell, it wasn't your fault. I wouldn't have expected you to act any other way. I'm sorry I didn't just throw him out, I was tired and wary of him...I know that's no excuse, I...I'm sorry I hurt you."

O'Connell looked up into Rob's face and saw the genuine sadness in his commanding officer's face.

"I-I'm sorry I yelled at you," O'Connell whispered.

Rob smiled and soothingly rubbed his hand up and down O'Connell's back the way he liked it as he kissed his forehead.

"You know why I fell in love with you?"

O'Connell looked up into his eyes again as he shook his head.

"Because you follow your heart and despite what everyone tells you to do, you always act on emotion and according to what your heart tells you to do. You'll make a great leader one day, O'Connell."

O'Connell leaned up and kissed Rob as a "thank you," running his hand through the older man's crew cut blonde hair. O'Connell smiled into the kiss, and when they broke apart for air he whispered against Rob's lips, "I love you too, Rob Herman."

_Red River Base, December 22nd, 6:34 AM._

"And this is the hanger where the tree lighting ceremony will take place, and over there is my precious Dibison, and over there is Karl's Iron Kong, and over there are Van's Blade Liger and Irvine's Saix, and over there is Moonbay's Gustav -"

"Thank you Thomas, but I already know who most of the zoids in this hanger belong to."

Thomas Schubaltz had eagerly volunteered to personally give Maria Flyheight a tour of the base. Whether he had ulterior motives to his tour had yet to be seen, but Maria seemed to be enjoying herself thus far, so Van had no reason to but in from where he was secretly spying on the two from the cockpit of the Liger.

"Van, what are we doing up here again?" Fiona asked for the upteenth time, growing more and more anxious and irritated with Van's childish behavior.

"Making sure Thomas doesn't pull anything funny with my sister like he pulls with you," Van replied as he raised the binoculars back up to his eyes.

"You never got upset when he would flirt with me," Fiona pouted jealously.

"That's because I knew he had no shot with you."

"And because you were always too dense to do anything about it," Fiona muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Oh nothing."

"Hey! What does he think he's doing?"

"Van?"

"He's put his arm on my sister's shoulder! Oh that lousy creep, I'm gonna -"

"Sit here like a good little boy and stay out of their business," Fiona cut him off as she pulled him back against the seat. "Maria is stronger and wiser than you think, let her take care of herself."

"But Thomas is so full of himself, and she's so...she's so..."

"What? Defenseless? Weak? Womanly?"

"Exactly!"

Fiona huffed as she psychically told Zeke to open up the cockpit.

"Hey Fi, what are you doing, you'll blow our cover!"

Fiona ignored him as she stood up and spat, "Stalk your sister yourself, I've got more important things to do."

As she hopped from the cockpit, Van pouted and said, "I'll never understand girls."

Zeke gave a noise that sounded like an "Amen" as Van watched Fiona cross over to where Thomas and Maria stood conversing by the tree.

"Thomas, can I steal Maria for a bit? I think some girl time would do her good," Fiona said sweetly as she took Maria's hand.

Thomas pouted and replied, "But I hadn't even gotten to show her any of the major offices or study halls yet!"

"You'll have her back later, I promise," Fiona smiled at him as she leaned in real close to him. "Of course, if you let me borrow her now, then you'll have more time to spend with the both of us later one."

"L-later on?" Thomas stuttered as his face turned a lovely red. "O-oh! Of course, Fiona! You and Maria run along then, and I'll meet up with you beautiful ladies later then!"

"Oh Thomas, you're such a sweetheart!" Fiona chirped as she cupped his face in her hand. As Fiona led a confused Maria away, Thomas let out a lovesick sigh as he fainted to the floor.

No one noticed the loud slamming noise coming from a certain Liger's cockpit.

_Red River Base, December 22nd, 7:04 AM._

Irvine climbed into the cockpit of his Saix and piloted his zoid towards the exit of the hanger. After last night and the events of yesterday he figured he could use an escape. He hadn't gotten a wink of sleep last night, and the fresh air would do him some good. Skipping breakfast, Irvine piloted his Saix out of the base and took it almost full speed, zooming out of the hanger and into the open desert. Irvine didn't know where he was running to, but he knew he had to get away. Speeding along the edge of the cliffs near the base, Irvine let out a feral growl to which the Saix growled in response. Irvine pushed it further and the Saix raced away from the base, putting as much distance between the base and the zoid as possible. Irvine couldn't think, he could only feel as the adrenaline took him and his zoid far away from Red River.

Irvine only began pulling back on the controls, slowing the Saix down, when they approached the ocean. Irvine knew they were really far from the base and here he could rest.

Opening up the cockpit to the zoid, Irvine took a deep breath in of the sea salt air and looked out at the ocean waves. In these same waters had the love of his life plummeted and exploded. In these waters his hope of true love had been lost.

Irvine leaned back against the seat of his zoid and closed his eyes, relaxing in the way his hair gently swayed in the wind.

_"Irvine."_

Irvine took in a deep breath and let it out as the sea pulsated beneath him.

_"Irvine."_

Irvine cracked an eye open and looked out at the ocean. He was sure he had heard someone's voice, yet there was nobody there. It must be his imagination.

_"Irvine, you can't ignore me forever."_

Irvine opened up both eyes and looked out again at the sea as a voice whispered in his ear, _"Irvine, you need to let go of me."_

Sighing, Irvine closed his eyes as he whispered, "I can't, Carol. You were the one. Your death was all my fault. I _can't _let go."

_"It wasn't your fault, Irvine. And that's what upsets you the most. You don't have anyone to be angry at."_

Irvine opened his eyes as his fists clenched.

"I want to be angry...I want to go to where you are, Carol."

_"You know as well as I do that that would be foolish. Your friends need you."_

"No they don't," Irvine sighed. "Van's going to marry Fiona, Thomas has Van's sister to stalk, everyone has someone except me. You were my someone."

_"What about Moonbay?"_

"'Bay?" Irvine asked. "She's no you, Carol. She's more than a sister to me sure, but I'm not ready for anything serious yet. I can't...I can't commit to her. I still miss you. Every time I kiss her lips I would be thinking of you."

_"Irvine, you need to let go. She loves you and wants to make you happy. And you _can _be happy with her. I know you, Irvine, she's right for you."_

"_You_ were right for me."

_"No Irvine...I could never be right for you the way she is. Face it, you need her. And you will realize how you truly feel about her with time. But take that time to realize you still need love in your life...just not mine. I'm not coming back Irvine; you need to find love again to be happy, but find it in that of your _true love. _Not in that of a passionate fling who you cared for."_

"Carol...I'll never forget you."

_"I don't expect you to. But let your heart live and love the way it's been dying to since the moment you laid eyes on her. Love, Irvine, but don't love the lost."_

"I can't just jump into a relationship with Moonbay, she already expects us to get together, it would break her heart if I couldn't make her happy or be happy with her."

_"Try, Irvine. Take a chance...you might discover something about yourself. Goodbye Irvine."_

"Carol, no, wait please! I need your help, what am I to do? Carol? CAROL!"

Irvine scanned the ocean for any sign of her, but the sea was calm and the birds were still chirping.

"I've lost her again," Irvine whispered to himself. Not knowing what to do now, he looked around when something on the sand caught his eye. Jumping out of the Saix to investigate it further, Irvine leaned down and picked up the shiny object. It was a small shell, cut in the shape of a crescent moon. Smiling slightly, Irvine turned the shell over and saw on the back of it a small heart had been etched into it.

"Very funny Carol," Irvine smiled as he pulled back his arm to throw it back into the ocean. He was about to let go when suddenly his Saix let out a low whine. Turning back to regard the zoid, Irvine found his Saix facing him and hunched low to the ground, almost eye level with Irvine.

"You don't think I should throw it away?" Irvine laughed as he regarded his zoid.

The Saix growled in response and shook its head.

Irvine couldn't help but laugh as he petted his best friend.

"Alright buddy, but if she throws it in my face or things don't work out, I'm blaming you."

_Red River Base, December 22nd, 10:00 AM._

Karl was sleep-deprived.

Seeing Stinger yesterday had sent all kinds of feelings through the colonel...feelings that were better off left in his sock drawer to rot. Karl was not happy.

He also hadn't gotten any action in several weeks and was slightly jealous that his best friend had gotten a kiss from Stinger when he hadn't gotten anything more than a peck on the cheek from the criminal.

Sighing loudly, Karl swung his chair to look at the blank wall behind his chair. He loved Rob to death as a best friend, but he was also extremely jealous of the blonde. Not only did Rob get to be able to see his _special someone _every freaking day and night, but he also got a kiss from Karl's _special someone_. Karl was pissed.

Abruptly standing from his swivel chair, Karl stormed out of his office and made his way to the very elevator that he could have molested Stinger in. Jabbing the down button, Karl tapped his foot impatiently as the elevator zoomed down to the hanger bay. As soon as the doors opened, Karl maneuvered his way past the saluting soldiers and went to the Iron Kong.

As the Kong lifted him up into its cockpit, Karl heard a voice shout, "Hey Colonel, wait up!"

Karl looked over his shoulder as Moonbay ran up to him waving frantically.

"Moonbay? What do you want?"

"Can I go outside with you? Let's go shopping, I'll help you find an outfit for the Masquerade Ball, I know the perfect place!"

"Moonbay, why would you ever want to go shopping with me?"

"Because I'm a chick and know what will make you look good for Stinger," Moonbay called up with a wink.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

_Otterlake Shopping District, December 22nd, 12:00 PM._

"Moonbay, are you sure about this?"

"Of course, Colonel! Don't you trust my judgement?"

"Well..."

"Oh come on, you look terrific!"

"...I look like a toasted popcorn kernel."

"Colonel Kernel! It has a nice ring to it doesn't it?"

"..."

"Okay, maybe not."

Karl sighed as he looked at himself in a mirror. Moonbay had dressed him in a white suit with frills and poofy sleeves and a collar that exposed his chest. He looked like something out of one of the ancient "disco albums."

"Here, try this on!" Moonbay urged as she handed him another outfit. Regarding it skeptically, Karl took it and closed the curtain over to change outfits.

While he was changing he asked, "Moonbay, tell me again why you forced me into this?"

"Because you need an exceptional outfit for the ball that will certainly attract Stinger's attention and keep his eyes focused only on you!"

"...and why would I want Stinger to notice me?"

"Oh come of it, Karl. May I call you Karl?"

"No."

"_Colonel Schubaltz_," Moonbay purred with a smile, even though Karl couldn't see her through the curtain. "I may not be one for battle strategies and know all the time what different code words and names refer to, but I do know a thing or two about love, and I happen to know that you got the hots for that flirtatious criminal."

Karl mentally noted himself to wring Thomas's mouth for blabbing later on as he buttoned up the shirt. Clearing his throat he remarked, "Stinger and I are not meant to be together. Fate does not smile kindly upon people of different worlds."

"Ah, that may be true, but there's no reason why you two can't...experiment a little with love."

"Experiment?" Karl asked with a raise of his eyebrow and a smirk. "Is that what you youngsters are calling it these days?"

"Oh come on Colonel, you know what I mean! Now here, let us take a look at you!"

Karl rolled his eyes and drew back the curtain.

"DAAAAAAMN YOU LOOK FINE, COLONEL!"

"...Please keep your voice down."

_Red River Base, December 22nd, 12:00 PM._

Irvine pulled into the hanger just in time for lunch in his opinion. Hopping out of his Saix and giving him a pat on the leg, Irvine turned and began making his way towards the elevator when a cheerful blonde ran up to greet him.

"Hey Irvine!"

"Hi Thomas."

The blonde in question beamed at him as he announced, "Fiona promised me that later on her, Maria, and I would be able to spend some quality time together! You haven't seen them since, have you?"

"No, can't say that I have. I just got back in fact. Knowing Fiona though, her and Maria are probably having a good laugh at Van's expense or planning his and her wedding."

"Psh, Fiona's never going to marry Van," Thomas laughed as he hit the elevator button. "I'm off to grab some lunch, care to join me?"

"Sure, I've got nobody else to eat with," Irvine shrugged as he stepped into the elevator.

As the doors closed, Thomas asked almost awkwardly, "So...have any luck with figuring out what you're getting Moonbay for Christmas?"

Irvine smiled to himself, and the sigh of a genuine smile from Irvine nearly sent Thomas into cardiac arrest.

"You could say that."

Thomas decided not to ask as Irvine stepped out of the elevator first, a positively energetic glow about him. "Coming?" Irvine asked cheerfully.

Thomas stepped out of the elevator cautiously, similar to the way a man cautiously approaches a lion, and followed the taller man down the hallway to the dining hall.

As the two approached the dining hall, Thomas caught a flash of black and red disappearing around the corner and stopped in his tracks.

"What's up?" Irvine asked, turning to face Thomas.

"I thought I saw Van run by," Thomas muttered. "Must be seeing things."

_Red River Base, December 22nd, 12:00 PM._

Van was in a hurry. He had lost his sister and Fiona hours ago, and now he was having trouble re-locating them. He seriously needed to quit eating so much papaya, it was slowing him down.

Racing around a corner, Van was not expecting to crash into Dr. Dee.

"Van! What on Zi do you think you're doing, running around like a lunatic?"

"Oh, sorry Gramps," Van apologized as he helped the old timer up. "It's great to see you! Hey, you wouldn't happen to have seen my sister or Fiona around, would you?"

"Well actually yes, I had the pleasure of running into Fiona - although not as physical as our encounter - just a few hours ago. She said she was touring your sister around the base, and if I do recall correctly, they were talking about you when I saw them."

"About me? What were they saying?"

"Well I can't be sure but I think it had something to do with your ridiculously long hair. I mean my goddess Van, cut that thing off!"

Van rolled his eyes but looked down the hallway when he saw a flash of pink.

"Gotta go Gramps, I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"I'll tell Fiona she has to work with you on your welcoming skills!"

Van ignored his friend and continued to race down the hallway, turning left and right as the corridors bended, trying to track down where he had seen Fiona go.

Suddenly Van made a right turn and came to a dead end.

"Fiona?" he called out, but there was no answer.

'I could have sworn I saw her come here,' Van thought to himself as he approached the wall. Gently placing a hand on the wall, he traced along it, trying to find some kind of trap door. In military bases, it wasn't uncommon for there to be hidden passageways around the base to be used as escape routes during the war. Suddenly Van's hand passed over a part of the wall that wasn't smooth, but that stuck out. Tracing it with his fingertips, Van discovered that this part of the wall was actually a hidden doorknob, set to blend in with the wall. Wrapping his hand around it, Van pushed the door, and saw that it opened up to a staircase that led downward. Van was about to take a step when a growl was heard behind him. Looking over his shoulder, Van jumped to see Zeke standing there, looking expectantly at him.

"Hey buddy, I thought you would be with Fiona," Van said as he petted his friend's nose.

Zeke merely gestured with his snout to the passageway.

"Ah, so Fiona is down there, is she?" Van asked as he turned back to the passageway.

When Zeke nodded, Van smiled and said, "Well Zeke, I guess we just gotta go after her! Kind of like old times, huh? Rummaging through hidden passageways, finding hidden secrets and all that jazz."

Zeke rolled his eyes and led the way down the passageway, leaving Van to laugh, "Hey okay okay, I'll save the reminiscing for later. Let's go!"

_Same time and place._

The air of the passageway was musty and smelled like Dr. Dee on a bad day. The staircase seemed to travel downward on a slant forever. Man-made lights dully illuminated their path, but Van still kept a hand on the knife he always carried with him, just in case.

"How much farther until we find Fiona?" Van whispered.

Zeke tilted his head in a manner which read, 'Not far.'

As the two proceeded on, the passageway suddenly stopped at a solid metal door with a wheel as it's handle.

"Okay boy, let's give it a shot," Van said as he gripped the wheel and spun it with all his strength. The wheel easily turned, and the door swung open. As Van and Zeke moved through the doorway, the door suddenly shut behind them, and they found themselves in a large loading bay, similar to the hanger in the base.

"What the..." Van trailed off as he looked around.

Hundreds of military-looking zoids were lined up in rows facing away from Van and Zeke. Every type of zoid from Stealth Vipers to Shield Ligers to Gustavs to Raptors to Command Wolves stood at the ready. There was even a line of Iron Kongs, Guysacks, and Gunsnipers.

"It's an ambush," Van muttered.

"Right you are, Flyheight."

Suddenly the lights went out and the emergency lights came on as an unseen net instantly scooped up Van and Zeke separately. Van struggled against the ropes to reach his knife, but it was no use; the ropes bound him too tightly.

Van squinted to see a single figure walking between the rows of zoids to where he and Zeke hung trapped.

"Stinger?"

The man in question brushed some hair out of his face with his index finger. "Who else did you expect to have such a magnificent ambush ready for your precious base?"

"What have you done with Fiona and my sister?" Van demanded, thrashing against the ropes.

"Your sister and Fiona? I haven't seen them since our unfortunate reunion last night," Stinger answered honestly. "Although I do believe you and your precious organoid there will be perfect collateral for my ransom demands."

"Ransom demands? What are you up to, Stinger?"

"Sorry Van, but if I told you all of my plans, then it wouldn't be nearly as much fun," Stinger pouted as he turned away from them. "I think I'll just keep you and your meddling organoid locked up here for now so you can't interfere in my plans anymore."

"You'll never win at this, Stinger! Your path doesn't lead to victory!"

At those words Stinger stopped cold in his tracks. Ignoring the memory of Karl repeating those same words, Stinger put on his trademark smile and looked over his shoulder saying, "We'll see about that, young Flyheight. Oh and don't try anything funny while I'm gone or Snipey here will show you the meaning of pain." As Stinger exited through the door which Van had entered from, a single Gunsniper fell out of line and positioned its cannons and guns at Van and Zeke.

"I miss the Liger," Van whimpered, to which Zeke agreed.

_Red River Base, December 22nd, 12:56 PM._

"Hey Thomas, you haven't seen Moonbay, have you?"

"Hm? Oh yeah, I think she went shopping with Karl."

"Shopping?"

"Yeah, for stuff to wear at the ball."

Irvine's face knitted into a scowl of confusion as he asked mostly to himself, "Why would she go shopping with Karl?"

Thomas shrugged and said, "Dunno. Probably because he has absolutely no taste in fashion, and Fiona and Maria, the only other females in the base, were busy."

"Yeah, you're probably right..." Irvine said, a familiar knot of jealousy beginning to work its way through his stomach.

"Hey look, it's Dr. Dee!"

Irvine looked up and shouted, "Hey Gramps, what are you doing up there?"

Irvine and Thomas looked up to where Dr. Dee was currently standing on his tiptoes in the cockpit of a Pteras, trying to place something metallic on the top of the tree. Upon hearing Irvine's shout however, Dr. Dee lost his footing and fell backward into the cockpit of the Pteras. Cursing up a storm, Dr. Dee heaved himself up to an upright position and called down, "What the hell, Irvine? Ya trying to give me a heart attack?"

Irvine smirked as he gestured to Thomas to follow him.

"Come on, let's go see what the old timer is up to this time."

As the two men made their way closer to the descending Pteras, Dr. Dee gave them both stern looks as he said, "I almost had it on top of the tree too, you dimwits."

"It's good to see you Doc," Thomas grinned as he embraced the old man.

"Yeah, yeah, same to you," Dr. Dee smiled as he looked between the two men. "My, how you've both grown."

Irvine and Thomas beamed at this; Irvine asked, "Have you seen Van lately? Thomas thought he saw him run by before."

"See Van? Of course I saw him! The damn fool nearly ran me over with his muscular body!" Dr. Dee complained as he rubbed his back. "That boy doesn't know the meaning of 'slow down.'"

Irvine smirked at this and asked, "Can you tell us where you saw him last?"

"He said he was looking for Fiona and Maria because he had lost them," Dr. Dee explained. "Seemed to be in an awfully big hurry. Haven't seen him since, though. I'd say snoop around the fourth floor, that's where I saw him heading last. But check the stairs first, not the elevator. A kid in that big of a rush wouldn't stop long enough for an elevator."

"Thanks Doc," Thomas smiled as he waved a goodbye. "We'll see you at dinner?"

"Yeah, yeah," Dr. Dee grinned as he turned back to the Pteras. "I'll be trying to get my homemade star to work on top of the tree while you boys are all out chasing each other. Hey wait a minute! Speaking of boys chasing each other, have either of you seen Rob or O'Connell lately? I've been meaning to say hello to them!"

"Nope, sorry Gramps!" Irvine called over his shoulder as he raced after Thomas to catch up.

"Kids these days, always running to and fro, never stopping to smell the scent of a tree," Dr. Dee sighed as he looked back at the tree. "Well old friend, shall we try and tackle you once more?"

_?, December 22nd, 1:30 PM. _

When Fiona opened her eyes, she found that she had been tied to a chair and gagged. Trying not to instantly panic because she was TIED TO A CHAIR AND GAGGED, Fiona looked around her. She was in a dark room with no lights, a steel door in front of her, and a single window to her right which she could only see her reflection in. Squinting at her reflection, Fiona realized that she was sitting with her back to Maria's back.

Suddenly the door opened up and a figure walked into the room, standing before Fiona.

Fiona couldn't see their face because of the darkness, but she could see their shoes.

'I remember seeing those boots before,' Fiona thought to herself. 'But where?'

"Ah, the princess is awake," a cool voice grinned.

"Raven?" Fiona asked although the voice came out muffled.

Raven kneeled down before her, and as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Fiona could make out his dark hair and grey eyes.

"You're probably wondering what I'm doing here. Well I did receive an invitation to come here, and I took it."

Fiona looked back at Maria's reflection and back at Raven intentionally.

Raven seemed to get the message as he said, "Don't worry about Flyheight's sister, she'll be fine. As long as I get what I want."

Fiona gave him a questioning look to which Raven just smirked.

"All in good time, Ancient Zoidian. All I will tell you for now is that you are in a place that Van will never find you in, and that your mental connection with Zeke doesn't work here. Now I have some important business to attend to, but I expect you will sit there and be a good little girl...otherwise Shadow will have to have some fun with you."

Fiona felt her heart freeze up as Shadow the organoid stepped out of the dark shadows.

"Play nicely now," Raven smirked as he opened and shut the door behind him.

As Raven left the room and entered the room next door (the room on the other side of the one-way mirror), he was greeted with a steady, "Why do you play games with her? She already has Van to fan all over her, why must you toy with her as well?"

"Don't tell me you're jealous of her," Raven laughed as he crossed over to stand beside his girlfriend Reese. On the other side of Reese stood her blue organoid, Specula.

"I'm not jealous of her, I simply don't like it when other girls receive attention greater than I do from attractive men," Reese pouted. When she pouted, she gave a look that would make your heart freeze, but Raven was used to it by now.

Raven wrapped his arm around her waist as he whispered into her ear, "Don't worry about her. She isn't as captivating as you are."

This seemed to make both Specula and her master happy as Reese relaxed against Raven's touch.

"I need to go see Stinger," Raven explained when he suddenly pulled away. "I shouldn't be gone long."

"Raven," Reese called out.

"Hm?"

"Be careful out there."

Raven looked over his shoulder and into her eyes as he smiled softly. A genuine smile that only she got to see.

"Always."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

_Red River Base, December 22nd, 1:30 PM._

When Moonbay and Karl reached the base, they were surprised to see a Pteras in mid-flight next to the beloved tree.

"What the hell?" Karl questioned as he maneuvered his Iron Kong around to sit below the flying Pteras.

"Hi Karl, hi Moonbay!" Dr. Dee shouted down as he finished placing his metal contraption on top of the tree. Flying the Pteras back down to its spot against the wall, Dr. Dee was lowered out of the cockpit, and onto the ground by the zoid.

"Dr. Dee, what were you doing up there?" Moonbay questioned as she pulled her Gustav in beside the Pteras.

"I was giving the Christmas tree a little Dr. Dee magic," the old man grinned as he gestured to the tree. "Behold, the Zoid Star!"

"The Zoid Star? How...inventive," Karl murmured as he looked up to the tree.

On top of the tree sat a metallic ball resembling a zoid core, which had parts of it spiked out to resemble the points of a star.

"I made this baby myself," Dr. Dee smiled proudly. "She has a few tricks up her sleeve too, just wait till Christmas!"

"I'm rather scared to ask," Karl replied, walking away with a lazy salute.

Making his way towards the dining hall for a late lunch, Karl was halfway there when suddenly a voice screamed out, "KARL!"

Spinning around, Karl watched as Thomas and Irvine ran up to him panting.

"What's wrong, men?" Karl asked.

"We've been looking for over an hour now and we can't find Fiona, Maria, Van, or Zeke anywhere!" Thomas burst out.

"Calm down, I'll ask Herman if he's seen them."

"No use, we can't find Herman either!"

"He's not in his office, and he's not with O'Connell," Irvine explained. "We didn't want to worry O'Connell but he's gone and sent out a search party to investigate around the base."

"Karl..." Thomas breathed. "Do you think Stinger could have anything to do with this?"

Karl stiffened but the possibility wasn't totally illogical.

"Thomas, there's a map under my desk of all the secret tunnels that connect inside the base to the outside area. You and Irvine grab O'Connell and divide yourselves into three separate search parties. Check all the tunnels and passageways, there aren't that many of them. Radio in your report to me, I have my radio on me."

"And what are you going to do?"

Karl looked into his brother's eyes before saying solemnly, "I'm going to have a talk with Stinger."

_Red River Base, Secret Passageway 24, December 22nd, 1:57 PM._

Van sighed as he gave up trying to reach his knife. He had been slowly trying to grab it from its place on his belt since Stinger had left, but every time he got close to retrieving it, the Gunsniper would rev up its guns.

"Hey Zeke," Van muttered without moving his lips. "I know you have never done this before with me, but do you think you could morph with that Gunsniper and control it?"

Zeke looked the zoid over, sizing the zoid up. Giving a quick nod to Van, Zeke spread his wings, breaking the ropes, and shot up and into the zoid. The Gunsniper tried to follow Zeke's movements, shooting offseveral gunshots as the zoid aimed up.

As Zeke morphed around the Gunsniper's core, Van quickly retrieved his knife, slicing the ropes that bound him, and landing on the ground. The Gunsniper was still shooting at the ceiling as Van bolted over to the zoid and jumped up into the opening cockpit. As Van wrestled with the controls of the zoid, Zeke struggled to get the enemy zoid under control. The Gunsniper's core was different than the Liger's, but the element of purity could still be found, and Zeke used that to calm the zoid down.

"Come on buddy," Van whispered soothingly as he managed to stop the zoid from shooting anymore. "Relax for me, please. I won't hurt you."

Something about Van's voice made the Gunsniper immobile, and Van was able to rewire the controls so that Stinger's wiring was debugged. The zoid was now completely under Van's control.

Van turned the zoid around to look at the rows of stolen zoids. They still remained there, unshaken by the fight, waiting for some unknown signal. Van maneuvered the Gunsniper forward, past the nearest row of zoids, making his way to the other end of the long hanger.

"There must be at least fifty zoids here," Van muttered as he examined the zoid lineup. Upon reaching the end of the hanger, Van paused the Gunsniper's movements when he realized the end wall was a giant door, similar to the construction found in the mouth of a Whale King. What disturbed Van the most though was a time bomb placed in the center of the door with a countdown on it.

Stinger sure did love his bombs.

_Red River Base, December 22nd, 2:07 PM._

Thomas and his group of men were midway through Secret Passageway 24 on the fourth floor when suddenly an earthquake seemed to shake the building, and sirens went off.

"Sir, what is that?" one of the men asked as the ground beneath them shook.

"It's an attack on the base!" Thomas shouted back as the shaking continued, causing Thomas to fall back against the nearest wall for support. "Get to the controls station and find out where it's coming from at once!"

"Right away, sir!" The men shouted in unison as the seven of them turned and ran out of the passageway.

'It sounded like gunfire coming from the other end of this passageway,' Thomas thought to himself as he took out his radio. "Karl, Irvine, I'm on my own in Passageway 24. I think I'm approaching the source of the gunfire. I'm going to investigate."

"Negative Thomas, wait right there until we get there!" Karl shouted.

"Sorry Karl, but how am I going to prove myself to you and the rest of them if I don't take chances?" Thomas asked as he came up to a solid metal door with a wheel in the center. "I'm going in."

"Thomas, you dumbass, don't be a hero -" Karl was cut off as interference occurred over the radio.

Shutting the useless device off, Thomas thought to himself, 'This time I'm going to be the one who saves the day, not Van,' and opened the door.

_Red River Base, December 22nd, 2:08 PM._

Irvine slammed his fist into the nearest wall as his group of men ran down the emergency staircase towards where he remembered Passageway 24 beginning.

"Damn cocky, arrogant, full of himself little rat -" Irvine cursed as he turned the corner and came to a dead end.

"Dammit!" Irvine shouted as he looked at the wall. "Inspect it!" he ordered his lackeys.

"Y-yes sir!" the men shouted as they began feeling over the wall.

The gunfire had stopped along with the alarms system, but Irvine wasn't going to assume yet that everything was peachy. He knew something was seriously wrong here, it was just a matter of what.

Suddenly the wall opened up just as Van, Thomas, and Zeke poured out from behind it.

"Van!" Irvine shouted as he helped his friend to his feet. "What's going on?"

"Stinger's placed a bomb in an underground hanger," Van breathed. "When the bomb goes off it sets off an explosion that triggers an army of over fifty sleeper zoids to attack the base by firing from within. We won't be able to get everyone out in time before the building starts collapsing."

"We'll use the Pterases," Thomas said quickly. "They can burst through the top of the base and the ceiling of the hanger, flying the workers and soldiers to safety while we try and dismantle the bomb. Irvine, you and O'Connell lead the others out of the base."

"What about Herman and the girls? We still haven't found them," Irvine replied.

"Fiona and my sister are missing too?" Van exclaimed.

"There's no time to explain," Thomas shouted, pushing Irvine and Van forward. "I'll work on the bomb; Van, you and Zeke find the girls. Irvine, you, O'Connell, and my brother work on getting everyone out."

"And Herman?" Van asked.

Thomas looked into his friend's eyes as he whispered, "He's in Gaia's hands now."

_?, December 22nd, 2:00 Pm._

Fiona eyed Shadow warily as the organoid glared at her. Maria still hadn't come around and Fiona was beginning to worry about her. Suddenly the door opened up and pulled a cord, illuminating the room with two lightbulbs. Fiona blinked against the brightness, but when her eyes became adjusted to the light, she looked at her guest.

"Hello Fiona," Reese grimaced. "You're looking as disgusting and disgraceful as always."

Fiona couldn't reply because of the gag in her mouth, but nearly glared at Reese, who laughed at her.

"Pitiful...even when you glare you're still beautiful. It makes me sick."

Reese walked past Fiona, stopping at the sleeping form of Maria.

"Don't touch her!" Fiona spat, but it came out muffled.

Reese ignored her, only tilted Maria's face up with a single hand.

"Hmm...so this is Flyheight's sister," Reese hummed to herself. "I can see the family resemblance. Maria, wake up."

At once Maria's eyes blinked open and stared forward blankly.

"Very good, you have a pure heart like your brother's, but you are so much more prone to mind-control. Do you know what I hate more than anything, Maria?"

Maria shook her head, eyes glazing over slightly.

"I hate fakes," Reese whispered in the girl's ear. "Your brother and all his petty friends...they're nothing but fakes. It makes me sick. Doesn't it make you sick, Maria?"

The girl nodded dumbly, her body and mind fully under the Ancient Zoidian's control.

"Maria, what I want you to do, is to take my zoid - Specula, my organoid, will guide you. And I want you to take that zoid and travel as quickly as you can to Red River Base, where you will fire at the base with everything you got. And don't stop firing no matter what they tell you until you run out of bullets. Do you think you can do that for me, Maria?"

Maria nodded as Reese smiled and freed the elder Flyheight.

"Good," Reese grinned as she took off Maria's gag. "Go, Maria."

Maria started making her way to the door, not hearing Fiona's grunts and groans to stop.

"Oh, and Maria?"

The girl turned back to look at her master, catching Fiona off guard by how defenseless she looked.

"When you run out of ammo, I want you to step out of the zoid, and wait for it to crush you, ending your life. Understood?"

Maria nodded as she turned and exited the door, leaving a sobbing Fiona behind. Reese walked back to kneel next to Fiona.

"It's a shame Van will remain a bachelor for the remainder of his days on Planet Zi...how _so_ _greatly_ he had been looking forward to marriage."

As Reese left the room, Fiona couldn't do anything except sit in her chair and pray.

'Zeke, if you can hear me, please. Please stop Maria from hurting you and herself. Please, tell Van where I am, please Zeke, please. Please save me.'

_Red River Base, December 22nd, 2:09 PM._

Karl left the base, not bothering to take a zoid with him. He ran about a mile from the base, where the nearest edge to the cliffs below resided. Looking over the edge at the hundred foot drop below him, Karl squat down and gripped the edge of the cliff before sliding his body over the edge, and letting go. He only dropped about ten feet before he hit a hidden ledge. He could hear the deep rumbling of gunfire coming from the base, but Karl knew his brother and friends could take care of whatever it was. Pushing on the door that blended in to mask with the rest of the cliff, Karl entered the small man-made space.

Stinger's den was a tiny den, only big enough for a small campfire, a makeshift bed made out of spare blankets, and a box filled with money no doubt. On top of the blankets a knocked-out Major Herman was tied up and laying down.

"Rob," Karl exclaimed as he ran over to the man. He had just begun to cut Rob free when a voice sounded from behind him.

"I'm surprised you remembered where this place was."

"It hasn't been that long since I've been here," Karl replied as he paused in his actions to look back at Stinger. However, the man he saw behind him wasn't Stinger, but a black-haired teenager, holding a gun which was aimed at the colonel.

"Raven?"

Raven simply smirked as Stinger appeared behind him in the space.

Karl looked between the two men and suddenly it all fell into place.

"You two are working together. That's how you were both able to kidnap Van and the others at the relatively same time."

"He really is a lot brighter than his brother," Raven remarked as he nodded to Stinger. "I'm guessing my payment is in that chest?"

Stinger nodded as Raven lowered his gun to make his way towards the chest. Stinger pulled out his own gun, a neon purple handgun with charms hanging from the handle. However, Stinger turned the gun's barrel from Karl to Raven and pulled the trigger.

A few strands of electricity shot out of the gun, but at the last minute a sharp growl was heard as a black organoid flew out from the opening of the space to absorb the shock. Shadow spazzed for a couple seconds before hitting the floor.

"Shadow!" Raven shouted as he went to lean by his organoid. Raven's eyes turned ferocious as he raised his gun to aim at Stinger. Before he could fire however, Karl had fired his own weapon at the boy, stunning him with his own stun gun's ability. Raven collapsed with a sigh next to his organoid.

"Why didn't you shoot me?" Stinger asked as he lowered his gun.

"Because you still owe me answers," Karl spat as he finished cutting Herman free. "Starting with where have you stashed the girls and Van?"

"And why on earth would I tell you?" Stinger smiled. "In my book, I'm still winning. Even if you kill me, you'll never save them in time."

Karl stood up and crossed over to stand before Stinger. Before Stinger could even raise his gun, Karl grabbed him by the front of his shirt, and tugged the man's lips against his own.

They stood like that for a few moments, relishing in the taste of each other as Stinger slowly lowered his gun. In one swift motion, Karl grabbed the criminal's gun, tossing it across the room, and shoving Stinger up against the wall of the cavern to kiss him further.

When the two had to break apart for air, Karl whispered heavily, "Tell me where you've hid them, and I'll make sure only one path is set for you. I have the authority."

Stinger looked deep into the colonel's eyes and realized that no matter what happened from here on, he was going to die somehow. It was just a matter of whether it would be in a crossfire or in a noose.

Shivering slightly at the thought, Stinger shakily raised his hand and cupped Karl's face in his hand, replying, "I always loved you, Karl."

Karl had to resist the shiver that wanted to consume his body, and instead swallowed roughly as he replied, "I know. Now tell me about the others."

Stinger looked at Raven, Shadow, and Herman's unconscious bodies before looking back into Karl's eyes.

"I'll tell you...but you'll have to kiss me one more time."

Karl eagerly complied.

_Secret Passageway 24, Red River Base, December 22nd, 2:19 PM._

"Can't you hurry this up?" Thomas asked his artificial intelligence creation BEEK from where she rested in his hands. He had had one of the higher-ranking soldier's carefully release BEEK from the Dibison's control system, and Thomas was now using his creation's abilities to try and disarm the bomb.

BEEK gave a whirring sound that could be translated to, "Shut the hell up or do it yourself."

Thomas sighed as he looked at the clock.

30 minutes remaining.

He could faintly hear, if he listened hard enough, the sound of zoids taking off and knew that Irvine and O'Connell were doing a marvelous job of evacuating the base. Red River didn't have that many Pteras's or flying zoids to spare, so Thomas hoped that the men were managing well enough with what zoids they had.

Suddenly BEEK gave a start which could be translated to, "SUCK IT!"

Thomas looked at the countdown and almost paled when the timer jumped from 27 minutes to 15.

"BEEK YOU BITCH!"

_Red River Base, December 22nd, 2:16 PM._

Irvine was on the ground of the hanger, ushering Pterases to fly three at a time out of the base through the roof of the hanger. He had never realized how many soldiers were stationed in Red River until he saw the bodies filling up space in the hanger. He and O'Connell had decided against opening the hanger door and letting ground zoids escort people out in case Stinger had wired another bomb to the outside of the hanger door. They were able to smush four people into a single Pteras at a time, which wasn't bad considering they didn't have much else to work with.

"Irvine, have you heard from Van or the others yet?" O'Connell asked over the radio. The cerulean-haired captain was currently in his own Pteras, hovering over the base, making sure the zoids made it out and 15 miles from the base as scheduled.

"Not yet, no. But Thomas turned off his radio like an amateur, and Van and Zeke are busy."

"Gotcha," O'Connell replied as he waved for the next group of Pterases to fly back into the hanger. "How many more men are left?"

"About thirty," Irvine estimated. "We already got Dr. Dee out, so that leaves all the accounted guests for out of the picture. Wait...where's Moonbay?"

"You've got to be kidding me!" O'Connell shouted over the radio. "I can't believe we forgot about her!"

'It's my fault if she dies,' Irvine thought bitterly as he shouted, "O'Connell, finish getting these people out, I'm going to find 'Bay!"

"Yes, sir!"

_Red River Base, December 22nd, 1:57 PM._

Moonbay had fallen into a deep sleep in her room, dreaming of Irvine confessing his never-ending love for her, when suddenly a strange ringing interrupted her dream. Slowly opening her eyes, Moonbay's hearing was flooded with that of an alarm siren, and screaming. Bursting out of her bed, Moonbay ran to her door, flung it open, and looked into the hallway. A red light was going off, signaling that of an attack on the base, while men and women alike ran past her room, heading towards the staircase.

Moonbay grabbed one of the running men, and pulled him to her, shouting above the noise, "What's going on?"

"There's a bomb in the building! Everyone's been told to evacuate!" the man shouted fearfully.

"Tell me, where's Irvine? Ya know, brown spiky hair? Eyepatch? Drives a Saix?"

"H-he's in the hanger, directing people out of the building. Van Flyheight and Thomas Shubaltz are looking for Van's girlfriend and sister and deactivating the bomb!"

"Idiots," Moonbay muttered as she released the man, who took off running immediately.

Moonbay turned back into her room, rushing over to her closet. Opening the doors, she looked through her clothes, searching for something. Smiling when she saw it, Moonbay tore off the wrapping, and raced out into the hallway, leaving her door open.

Nobody was going to mess with her friends before they could even open their presents from her.

_Outside of Red River Base._

Maria piloted Reese's blue Genosaurer with ease, as it was mostly Specula doing the piloting. When she reached the base, she found that the attack had already began as more and more people were being deported from the base. Turning on the weapons, Maria opened all lock sequences and hit the firing button. The two smaller cannons on either side of the Genosaurer's head began firing bullets just as the last three Pterases left the hanger. Maria blocked out the screams coming from the soldiers and workers only miles away from where her Genosaurer rested. She had a mission to fulfill, and she would not fail.

_Inside Red River Base._

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?" Van shouted as he and Zeke hopped into the Liger's cockpit. Zeke was convinced he didn't sense Fiona anywhere in the base, so, acting on instinct, Van decided to leave the base when suddenly gunfire blasted at the hanger.

"Van, it's a blue Genosaurer!" O'Connell's voice rang out over Van's radio. "It appeared out of nowhere and started firing at the base!"

"It must be a distraction from the bomb," Van called back as Zeke morphed into the Liger. "Do we know who's piloting it?"

"Hang on, I'll do a close-up of the cockpit. Van..."

"Yeah O'Connell?"

"It's your sister. Maria's piloting the Genosaurer!"

"WHAT?"

_Secret Passageway 24, Red River Base, December 22nd._

"Come on BEEK, come on, come on!" Thomas pleaded as BEEK blinked, whirred, and whizzed faster than Thomas had ever seen her work before. Suddenly BEEK made a noise, "Got it!" and Thomas looked back at the bomb's clock as the countdown froze in place.

Slumping against the hanger door, Thomas breathed a sigh of relief.

"BEEK, you're beautiful."

"I know."

Van piloted the Liger to face the hanger's door when Thomas's voice rang out, "Van, I've...BEEK disabled the bomb."

"Perfect," Van thanked him as he turned off his radio. "Let's do it, Zeke."

The organoid hummed in response as Van pushed the controls to full throttle as the Liger charged at the hanger door. Letting out a shout, Van ran over the sensors, triggering the hanger door to open. However, the door didn't open up, but exploded as a second bomb attached to the outside of the door blew the door free. Van burst through the flames, landing the Liger on the open earth as he looked up and into the cockpit of the opposing Genosaurer.

"Maria, stop this!" Van shouted, but was cut off as the Genosaurer locked it's attention onto the Liger.

Suddenly the all-too-familiarity of the Genosaurer's greatest attack was put into motion as the locks behind the zoid's feet were locked, and it's tail went stiff and horizontal as different parts of the tail opened up to breathe and gain power.

"No Maria," Van whispered as the Genosaurer fired it's strongest attack at the Liger.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

_Red River Base, December 22nd, 2:20 PM._

Karl ran towards the base watching as the final workers were flown out of the base. Squinting, he could see a blue Genosaurer fast approaching the base. Raising the radio to his mouth, Karl shouted into it, "O'Connell, that's the last of them, right?"

"Karl! I-I mean Colonel Shubalz, yes, that's the last of the workers, sir! The only ones left inside of the base are Irvine, Maria, Fiona, Van, Zeke, and Moonbay. Did you find Major Herman or Stinger?"

"Yes, and that will come later, they're both fine and under control. Herman was drugged but he'll come to in a few hours. O'Connell, listen very closely, I need you to contact Van and tell him Fiona is being held hostage at -"

Karl was cut off as the Genosaurer arrived and began firing at the base.

"Colonel, I gotta go, I'll talk to you soon, stay safe!" O'Connell shouted before the line went dead.

"Dammit!" Karl shouted as he looked around. Waving his arms rapidly, Karl managed to get the attention of one of the last Pterases to have escaped the base. The pilot flew the zoid down to where Karl was standing.

"Colonel Schubaltz, can I help you?" the soldier asked.

"Yes, you can start by giving me your zoid!" Karl demanded as he leapt up into the cockpit of the zoid. "There's a hidden ledge about ten feet below the edge of that cliff over there. Contact a few of your men and tell them to rescue the patients inside the crevice. One of the occupants is Major Herman, the other two are an organoid and a boy named Raven who have been stunned. Make sure Raven and the organoid Shadow are confined and fly them out of there. Send an emergency Pteras down to treat Herman, he's been drugged."

"Right away, sir!" the solder announced as he took his own communicator and began contacting his fellow troops. As the soldier left the zoid, Karl pulled the Pteras up into the sky and swung it around to face the Genosaurer just as the Liger bursted from the hanger.

"You're not ruining my Christmas," Karl said darkly as he flew the Pteras towards the Genosaurer.

_Same place and time._

As the Genosaurer's greatest attack blasted at Van, the man easily leapt the Liger away from the blast, swerving to the right of the Genosaurer. The charged particle blast followed the Liger, but broke off when the Genosaurer couldn't turn any further.

'I need to prevent it from firing without injuring Maria,' Van thought to himself as he swerved the Blade Liger around to face the Genosaurer from behind. As the opposing zoid turned to face him and charged up to fire once more, Van let out another brute shout as he pushed the Liger to full throttle once more. Side blades sliding down into place and emitting a glow, and the blades on top of the Liger's head locking themselves into vertical place as well, Van shouted louder as the Liger hurled itself at the Genosaurer. The blue zoid blasted it's charged partical beam at Van who, at the last second, side-swiped the Genosaurer, effectively cutting through the enemy zoid's left leg. The Genosaurer let out a cry as it toppled to it's side, charged particle beam still shooting off into the distance. Before the zoid could even try to right itself, Van turned the Liger around, and ran it's blade through the Genosaurer's other leg, literally taking the zoid's legs out from under him. The Genosaurer fell flat as it's beam ran out of energy. Van panted heavily as he watched the zoid for any further action. Suddenly the smaller side cannons on the Genosaurer's body locked themselves onto the Liger and began firing.

"Maria, you've got to stop this!" Van shouted as the Liger easily avoided the blasts from the odd angle. As the Liger took out the side cannons, Van shouted, "Maria, give up, you can't fight anymore!"

These words seemed to grab Maria, who let go of the controls. Slowly the cockpit of the Genosaurer opened up as Maria jumped out. Standing below the jaw of the Genosaurer, Maria stood there, as if waiting for the zoid to fall on her.

Van watched confused until he realized that the ground beneath the Genosaurer had cracked, causing the zoid to begin to fall forward.

"NO!" Van shouted as he surged the Liger forward.

Everything that followed seemed to happen in slow motion.

The Liger surged forward as the Genosaurer began to fall forward. As the zoid fell, images flashed through Maria's mind. She remembered her father standing before a small army of zoids trying to protect all he cared about. She remembered seeing the look in Prozen's face when he commanded his army to blast her father out of the way. She remembered the way he had stood to protect not just Shadow and Raven, but Van and herself as well. As these memories clouded Maria's mind, she slowly blinked her eyes open as Reese's mind-controlling powers began to fade. Realizing what was happening, Maria backed up out of the way just as a Pteras fired at the Genosaurer, knocking it onto its side as the Liger barreled into the Genosaurer, knocking the zoid away from the girl and over the crevice of the cliffs. Watching the Genosaurer plummet to the waters below, Van let out a sigh of relief as he looked down at his sister.

"Maria, are you okay?"

Maria looked at her brother through tearful eyes as he leapt down to embrace her. Leaning into Van's shoulder, Maria cried.

"I saw dad, I saw him before he died and suddenly it all came back to me. I was under a spell Van, it wasn't my fault -"

"I know, Maria, I know," Van whispered as he held her tightly against him. "It was a girl named Reese, wasn't it?"

Maria nodded against his shoulder; Van gently pulled away to look into her face.

"Maria, can you remember where you were being held?"

"The Green Nest," a voice called down.

Van and Maria looked up to see Karl looking at them from the cockpit of the Pteras that had attacked the Genosaurer.

"That's not too far from here," Van muttered as he ran and leapt back into the cockpit of the Liger. "Karl, get Maria out of here and go help the others. I'm going after Fiona!"

"Right!" Karl shouted back as he flew the Pteras down to pick up Maria.

_Inside Red River Base during the fight between Liger, Pteras, and Genosaurer._

Moonbay ran towards the hanger of the base, jumping down a flight of stairs and landing onto Irvine's running form.

"Irvine!" Moonbay shouted from where she half-straddled the mercenary.

"Moonbay, you're alright!" Irvine exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against her. "I was just going up to find your room and see where you were."

"Irvine, the bomb -"

"It's been disarmed," Irvine breathed into her hair as he rested his face against the top of her head. "I was so worry I'd lose you."

"Irvine," Moonbay whispered as she looked up into his eyes.

"Moonbay before anything else happens," Irvine said as he reached into his pocket, pulling out the shell, and handing it to her. "Will you be my g-"

Irvine was cut off, however, as a loud voice exclaimed over his radio, "Irvine! There's a huge fight going on outside between a Pteras, a Genosaurer, and Van's Liger! Where are you?"

"I'm safe, and so is Moonbay," Irvine responded to Thomas's urgent question. "Where are you?"

"BEEK and I are in the Dibison, restoring BEEK to her rightful controls. Irvine, you gotta see this battle! It's incredible!"

"Are the others safe?" Irvine asked as he rolled onto his side, not letting Moonbay out of his grasp.

"Well, Van and Karl just knocked the Genosaurer off a cliff, so I'd say the battle is pretty much over. Hang on, I'm getting a transmission from Karl...he says that Herman is alright, he has Maria with him, and he knows where Fiona was being held! Everyone is accounted for, Irvine!"

"Excellent," Irvine muttered as he abruptly hung up the radio back onto his belt and looked deeply into Moonbay's eyes before leaning down to kiss her. When the two broke apart, Moonbay's eyes were halfway closed, and Irvine was smiling.

"You don't know how long I've waited for that," Moonbay whispered against his lips.

"'Bay, there's so much I need to tell you," Irvine started, but he was cut off by a finger pressed against his lips.

"Later," Moonbay replied shortly before leaning up to capture his lips against hers for a second time.

_The Green Nest, December 22nd, 2:45 PM._

Reese could hear the sound of running footsteps coming down the hallway from her spot in the shadowy room. Gripping the knife Raven had given her, she held her breath and waited. The door was kicked open, and Van stood in the doorway.

"Van!" Fiona shouted.

"Fiona," Van cried as he went on his knees to free her. "Don't worry, I'll save -"

He was cut off as Reese let out a wild cry and flung at him, knife barred. However, Van managed to block the blow, which had landed inches from Fiona's head. Pushing back against Reese, the Ancient Zoidian was thrown back against the far wall.

Zeke appeared, snarling darkly at Reese, as he moved to free Fiona. However, just as Zeke went to claw at the ropes, Specula appeared in the doorway and barreled herself at the silver organoid.

"Give it up, Reese, Raven and Shadow have been sedated and captured. Stinger's been caught as well, the game is up!"

"You're lying!" Reese screamed as she hurled herself at Van. However, the hero ducked low and dropkicked her, sending her flying into the side wall.

"I'm telling the truth and you know it! I woudln't be here if Raven hadn't failed!" Van retorted as he placed a foot on Reese's knife from where it had landed, and aimed his own knife at her. "Give up Reese, and we'll take you away peacefully."

Reese snarled as she looked over to where Zeke had overpowered Specula as well.

Looking back at Van she smirked as she revealed a switch which she had been hiding in her hand.

"I'll never go peacefully," she whispered as she hit the switch. "SPECULAAAA" Reese shouted as the entire room was lit up. Van's eyes widened as he realized the entire back wall behind Fiona was a giant ticking time bomb. Van went to attack Reese when instantly the blue-haired girl was absorbed by Specula, and flown out of the room.

Van quickly slashed at the ropes and tore off Fiona's gag, pushing her towards Zeke.

"Zeke, get her out of here, _**NOW**_!" Van shouted.

Zeke didn't hesitate as he engulged Fiona and flew out of the room. Van turned and looked at the time bomb, which only had 7 seconds left on it. He would never make it out in time.

"I'm sorry Dad," Van whispered as he slashed at the wires attaching the bomb with his knife.

Thomas was just coming up on the Green Nest when suddenly he saw Zeke and Specula fly through the base. As Zeke flew to stand beside the Dibison, Thomas zeroed in on the blue organoid and screamed, "MEGALOMAX!"

All of his energy fired at Specula, blasting the organoid out of the sky just as the Green Nest blew up.

"_**VAAAAAN!**_" Fiona screamed as Zeke released her onto the ground.

Fiona could only watch as a mushroom cloud of smoke began rising from the destroyed metallic shed. Slowly the blonde girl sank to her knees as tears began streaming down her face.

"Van," she whispered as Thomas jumped from his cockpit to kneel beside her.

Not knowing what to say, Thomas put an arm around her as he looked at Zeke and exclaimed, "Why didn't you save him too?"

Zeke merely looked at Thomas sadly as the organoid looked back at the smoking building. Thomas growled as his fists clenched tightly and Fiona tightened her grip on him.

They were brought out of their misery, however, when Zeke gave a startled yell and flew from their side.

Sniffing into Thomas's shirt, Fiona looked back towards the Green Nest and saw a lone figure emerging from the rubble of the broken building.

"Van!" She screamed as she ran towards him.

Following her, Thomas also called the boy's name.

When the two blondes had reached him, Thomas and Zeke began jumping around in little circles around Van as Fiona threw her arms around his neck.

"Oh Van, but how did you - the explosion -"

Van merely looked into Fiona's eyes and smiled as he leaned down and captured her lips into hers.

Later on Van would tell her that the room Fiona had been stored in was actually fire-proofed so well that it's occupants inside of the room would be completely unscathed by the explosion that would consume the rest of the building. Later on Van would tell her he had learned from the map of secret passageways about the Green Nest's secret room, as well as other mysteries and fun secrets about nearby buildings. For now though, Van could only lean in and let his tongue explore her mouth, taking solace in the feeling of her in his arms.

_Miles away from Red River Base, December 22nd, 3:00 PM._

Stinger watched as the smoke from the Green Nest bellowed into the sky. He watched as Van, Fiona, Zeke, and Thomas made their way back to the base, where O'Connell, Irvine, Dr. Dee, and several soldiers had begun unloading the stolen zoids out of the mystery hanger through the now deactivated bomb wall. Stinger watched as Raven and Shadow's bodies were carted into a temporary jail cell, and he watched as the chopper carrying Herman's healthy yet unconscious body was flown to the capital for healing. Stinger watched all of this from behind a sand bunker, silently thinking of Karl's last words to him before the two men had parted ways.

"Will I be seeing you at Christmas?"

Stinger couldn't help the genuine smile that overtook his face as he thought of that last passionate kiss with his soulmate.

Maybe after all of this had been cleared up he would stop by for Christmas...but just to give Karl his present.

**Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed Part One of my three part minifanfics, please stay tuned for more action and romance, and don't forget to review! Thank you for reading! GunSniper24 out 3**


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